Photo EssayPhotos: A somber Holocaust remembrance trip with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff
Emhoff spent Holocaust Remembrance Day visiting the sites of concentration camps in a landmark trip
Adjacent to the Krakow JCC stands a beautiful synagogue, the neo-Romanesque Tempel Synagogue, constructed in the 1860s. Photo by Laura E. Adkins
Photo EssayPhotos: A somber Holocaust remembrance trip with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff
Emhoff spent Holocaust Remembrance Day visiting the sites of concentration camps in a landmark trip
Laura E. Adkins January 29, 2023
I’ve spent these past few days on a trip to Poland with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff.
It’s been a historic moment: Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a president or vice president, has been touring sites made infamous by Nazi atrocities and speaking with the Polish Jewish leaders of today. Along the way, he’s tried to make sense of the most ghastly moments in Jewish history — even as antisemitism continues to grow at home and abroad.
In public and private, he’s told those of us traveling with him that he hasn’t even begun to process what he’s seen.
And how could you? The tragedy is unspeakable, and the contemporary reality constantly changing. Below I’ve captured photographs of several moments from the trip that have moved me, and given me insight into what Jewish life in Poland looks like today — and looked like in the stolen past.
1 / 10
Photo by Laura E. Adkins
The JCC in Krakow serves nearly 500 Ukrainian refugees a day, and is central to the lives of a bustling community of Holocaust survivors.
2 / 10
Photo by Laura E. Adkins
3 / 10
Photo by Laura E. Adkins
4 / 10
Photo by Laura E. Adkins
5 / 10
Photo by Laura E. Adkins
6 / 10
Photo by Laura E. Adkins
During a Saturday visit to the Oskar Schindler factory museum, Emhoff participated in a moving tour focused on the efforts Schindler and others made to save lives during the Holocaust. He quickly turned his attention to the antisemitic attacks that had just occurred in Jerusalem. “What we are seeing today, we cannot have history repeat itself,” he said.
7 / 10
Photo by Laura E. Adkins
8 / 10
Photo by Laura E. Adkins
A ceremony honoring the liberation of Auschwitz included benedictions from a rabbi and from multiple Christian leaders. Many of the survivors present made the sign of the cross over themselves; I was told it was because most Jewish survivors left Poland long ago, so most of the ceremony’s attendees were non-Jewish survivors. During the ceremony, I thought about the surrounding forests, and the frigid air. How could anyone survive this place, I wondered? And how could these bare trees possibly serve as refuge for anyone brave enough to attempt to escape?
9 / 10
Photo by Laura E. Adkins
10 / 10
Photo by Laura E. Adkins
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Dive In
-
Opinion I wrote the book on Hitler’s first 100 days. Here’s how Trump’s compare
-
Opinion No, Pete Hegseth and Itamar Ben-Gvir don’t look alike — but that’s where the differences end
-
Opinion Gaza and Trump have left the Jewish community at war with itself — and me with a bad case of alienation
-
Opinion Trump’s hasty approach to an Iran deal could be a big problem for Israel
Most Popular
- 1
Culture Trump wants to honor Hannah Arendt in a ‘Garden of American Heroes.’ Is this a joke?
- 2
Opinion The dangerous Nazi legend behind Trump’s ruthless grab for power
- 3
Fast Forward The invitation said, ‘No Jews.’ The response from campus officials, at least, was real.
- 4
Opinion A Holocaust perpetrator was just celebrated on US soil. I think I know why no one objected.
In Case You Missed It
-
News These are the most influential Jews in Trump’s first 100 days
-
Fast Forward Nike apologizes for marathon ad using the Holocaust phrase ‘Never Again’
-
Opinion I wrote the book on Hitler’s first 100 days. Here’s how Trump’s compare
-
Fast Forward Ohio Applebee’s defaced with antisemitic graffiti reading ‘Jews work here’
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.